Throughout the consumer products industry, especially the fast food industry, advertisers and marketing experts have begun to rely heavily on the use of contest games to entice the public to eat in their establishments or to buy their products. One such popular contest is that utilizing game cards wherein the recipient answers a multiple choice question to become an "Instant Winner." Typically, the game cards have printed thereon a question below which is printed several possible answers. Associated with each possible answer is a removable masking layer. The player selects the proper answer by removing the masking layer associated with the answer he chooses to select. When the masking layer is removed, indicia printed on the game card is revealed indicating whether the player has made the correct selection of possible answers. If the correct selection is made, the card can be redeemed for the appropriate prize. Such games involve an element of skill to select the correct answer in order to produce a winning game card. U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,174 (incorporated herein by reference) to Miller is an example of such a game.
Another similar game employs a plurality of indicia printed on the game card. The indicia are individually hidden under removable masking layers. The game permits the removal of a given number of masks, such as three. When the masks are removed the underlying indicia are revealed. If the exposed indicia correspond to a desired combination of indicia, the card is a winner and can be redeemed for the appropriate prize. This type of game involves an element of chance in order to produce a winning game card.
New games to capture the imagination of the consuming public are constantly being sought.